1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the manufacture of .alpha.-picoline from 5-oxohexanenitrile (OHN).
2. Description of the Prior Art
British Pat. No. 1,304,155 teaches the preparation of .alpha.-picoline by contacting OHN with an alumina-supported palladium catalyst. The conversion of OHN is good but the selectivity to .alpha.-picoline is less than desirable.
Simpson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,931, teach the preparation of unsaturated, heterocyclic nitrogen bases of the pyridine and quinoline series. These compounds are prepared by contacting various nitriles with any one of a number of different dehydrogenation catalysts. The catalysts are transition metals or metal oxides of Group IV-A, V-A, VI-A and VIII of the Periodic Table and are typically supported on chips of clay plate. The preparation of .alpha.-picoline from OHN is not specifically taught.